Above the mage

Chapter 120 Maid Clam

After hearing Instructor Shahu's introduction of the maid clam, Gaode realized that he could take a shortcut using [Detect Magic+].

And this doesn't count as a foul.

The use of spells one has mastered is permitted during the enrollment process.

However, there are very few, if any, zero-ring spells that are helpful for mining and clam harvesting, so everyone can only grit their teeth and endure the hardship.

But Gaode is different.

He only needs to master diving to complete the enrollment task at an extremely fast speed, thanks to the special ability of [Detection Magic+].

I can't speak for other things, but it's definitely much faster than mining.

Gao De's gaze swept back and forth across the bottom of the river.

Until he started to feel increasingly tightness in his chest.

This is a sign that the breath you've been holding in is about to run out.

He dared not be too reckless and prepared to surface.

But in that instant when he swung his legs, a fairly bright magical light suddenly flashed in the corner of Gao De's eye.

"Is it a maid clam?" Gao De wasn't sure.

However, he is now almost at his limit and is unable to verify it directly.

Gao De wasn't in a hurry. He continued to rise, poking his head above the water and taking a couple of deep breaths.

After catching his breath, he finally had time to glance at the shore.

Suddenly, they discovered that the other five people who had entered the mine had all come out and were resting on the riverbank, looking at Gao De, who had just emerged, with strange eyes.

There was mockery, incomprehension, and disdain.

The emotions in everyone's eyes are different.

"Have you collected any maid clams yet?" Luca, who was resting, couldn't help but ask.

"Not yet," Gao De replied honestly.

"It's been a whole morning, and we've already dug up a whole basket of gold ore, while you've still got nothing and are even still learning to scuba dive."

"At this rate, when will you ever finish the mission? Why don't you just give up already?" Kaplan couldn't help but chime in.

Just now, Luca has already publicized Gaode's "great achievements".

Everyone knows that Gao De, who attempted to follow the "clam-harvesting" path, even learned to dive on the spot.

This is utterly absurd!

"It's alright, maybe we'll find something on the next trip," Gao De laughed and said earnestly.

After speaking, Gao De, having caught his breath, plunged into the water again.

Watching Gaode disappear onto the river again, Kaplan, who had been advising Gaode to "turn over a new leaf," paused for a few seconds before finally offering his assessment: "Foolish!"

Gerica's gaze was also fixed on the river, and her brows furrowed unconsciously.

When Gaode first appeared, compared to the negative emotions in the eyes of others, she felt more doubt.

And there are more and more doubts.

The doubts that had arisen since seeing Gaode in the new student queue that morning had now reached their peak.

"Get to work, get to work! He's wasting time here. I won't follow his example!" Luca, who was the first to leave the mine, stood up, clapped his hands, and put his basket back on his back.

The task isn't finished once the gold ore is mined; it's only complete when it's transported to the top of the cliff.

With nearly 30 kilograms of water gold ore on his back, the already steep mountain road suddenly became even more rugged, winding, and treacherous.

After climbing only a dozen or so steps, Luca's forehead was already covered in sweat again.

This mandatory enrollment task, besides teaching aspiring mage apprentices to endure hardship and cultivate a resilient character, also serves to strengthen their physique in the process.

Once the task of handing over 3000 kilograms of water gold ore is completed, even the person with the worst physique will become stronger.

Luca gritted his teeth and persevered.

Even if he disagreed with the mission and thought it was meaningless, after hearing that the record holder for the entrance mission was the former headmaster "Gavin Hogg", he understood that the entrance mission was something he could never get rid of.

—Even the dean of the academy has toiled at the foot of Coolie Cliff, so what right does he have not to do it?

Luca trudged forward, carrying a basket on his back, stopping to rest every few steps, his expression gradually turning ferocious.

He felt a burning pain in his shoulder, as the rope of the basket had chafed the skin raw.

This isn't a place for "advanced training and gilding," it's clearly a place to be tortured!

Fortunately, this basket is also made of special vines, so it can easily carry a load of 30 kilograms, or even double that.

"I shouldn't have come. I'm already struggling so much; that little vixen Gerica must be having an even worse time."

Luca, who had initially felt some regret, suddenly stopped regretting it when he thought about how Gerica, a woman younger than him, also had to carry 3000 kilograms of water gold ore up the mountain without any preferential treatment.

I even felt that the water gold ore on my back was lighter.

After Luca carried the water gold ore he had dug up and started climbing the mountain, the remaining four people followed suit.

Everyone has their own things to do and no one has time to care about Gaode, which is still "wasting" time underwater.

The four of them, carrying baskets on their backs, set off one after another on the way up the mountain.

Candice, who was the weakest in physique, chose to walk last.

She knew she was the thinnest, weakest, and slowest, and she was afraid of slowing down others' progress.

Of the five, she had the fewest water gold ore on her back.

Everyone else carried about 20 to 30 kilograms of water gold ore, but she only carried about 15 kilograms.

Even so, when she was halfway up the steps of the cliff path, her legs suddenly gave way and she was about to fall backward.

On such a rugged and steep cliff path, one can only imagine what would happen if one fell backward.

This startled Candice so much that her face turned deathly pale.

Fortunately, a force suddenly came from behind and supported her, preventing her from falling.

"Rest if you're tired, don't push yourself. Just finish the task slowly, or you'll fall and it'll be terrible." A gentle voice came from behind her.

Candice turned her head away.

She was the last one to leave.

In this situation, the only one who could still support her from behind was Gao De, who had just left the water and was climbing the cliff more slowly.

Although he had been diving all morning, Gaode was also very physically exhausted.

But ultimately, there's no need to carry a heavy load up the mountain.

So he quickly caught up with the main group that had set off earlier, trailing behind Candice, and promptly offered his help when Candice was in danger.

"Thank you." Tears were almost falling, but Candice held them back.

"You'll be there soon, keep going," Gao De added, offering another word of comfort.

"I know," Candice said softly, but before she could finish, she suddenly froze, her eyes widening involuntarily as she stared intently at Gaode's basket.

The stone steps leading up the cliff were steep, so when Gerika, who was walking in front of Gaode, turned around, she could see the items in Gaode's basket from her high vantage point.

Compared to the large and small pieces of gold ore that everyone else was carrying in their baskets, Gaode's basket was much emptier.

But it's not completely empty.

There is one and only one thing.

mussel.

It was a clam with an unusually large and elegantly streamlined shell.

It is about one foot long and nearly as wide as it is long.

The surface of the clam shell is also covered with a layer of delicate, silky pearl luster, as if it were formed from moonlight.

The shell curves slightly upwards on both sides, like the hem of a maid's skirt, elegant yet dignified.

The most peculiar thing is that fine and intricate patterns grow naturally on the shell surface.

As the light changes, these patterns seem to faintly reveal the delicate silhouettes of maids dancing lightly on the shell.

"This...this is a maid clam?!" Candice asked incredulously.

"That should be true," Gao De replied.

"You, you really harvested the maid clam?!" Candice exclaimed in surprise.

"Didn't I say we might have some success on the next trip?" Gao De laughed.

"You're so lucky," Candice said enviously, regaining her composure.

Don't be fooled by the fact that there's only one clam weighing less than 5 kilograms in Gaode's basket; it's equivalent to 50 kilograms of water gold ore.

She worked herself to the bone all morning, and even almost fell down the steps just now, but all she harvested was less than 15 kilograms of water gold ore.

Comparing yourself to others is truly infuriating.

Unfortunately, she can't dive, and she can't even swim; she's a complete landlubber.

Otherwise, Candice might really want to learn from Gaode Maps and try her luck in the water.

(End of this chapter)